Conventional weirdness

For some reason I'm watching delegates voting on cspan, and it's the most surreal thing ever. They have this incredibly smiley, elementary-school-teacher type in charge of the proceedings, who is always deeply, DEEPLY excited to introduce each state and who always effusively thanks each delegation for their wonderful delegates, to the extent that she almost sound like she's being sarcastic. And every time she calls on another delegation--one by one, very, very slowly--a representative gets up and tells us allegedly fascinating state-related facts before telling how they're dividing their votes. The Louisiana woman just quoted Hank Williams. Then the Maine guy had this weird self-deprecation thing going on. Maybe this is how they always do this, but it's still sort of hilarious.

Ha ha--the Massachusetts representative introduced her state as home of the "championship Red Sox, championship Celtics, and the New England Patriots." Because the Patriots AREN'T CHAMPIONS, plain and simple! And everyone knows it!

Minnesota, on the other hand, is the home of a winning women's college hockey team. I just learned that. So there.

Seriously, are all these people REALLY that proud of their states, or are they just goofing around?

I'm looking forward to learning what's so great about Pennsylvania.

OH NOES! The New Mexico dude is speaking IN SPANISH! Someone alert Tom Tancredo!

Ooh...Hillary moves that all voting be suspended and Obama be nominated "by acclimation." THAT ain't gonna make the PUMAs happy. But then, what would? And anyway, there's only four or five of them total anyway at this point.

And everyone roars out in favor of Obama and that's that. I've gotta admit: that move was REALLY, REALLY effective theater. Well done. But I'm annoyed that Pennsylvania didn't get its moment in the sun.